Orange County Solar Expert

Month: September 2016

As the trend is tremendously growing on a regular basis, many must still be wondering what solar panels, Commercial solar contractors, etc are and what they do? The solar products are generally referred to as photovoltaic plates and are designed to capture the electrons that are found within the sun rays. They are then transported to be conducted into usable energy. A single piece can generate anywhere from ninety to over four hundred watts of energy currency. One is not enough to sufficiently provide power at a home or business, therefore so many are often installed at a time to form a complete alternative energy system.

It is important to know that while there is a simple answer to the question of what solar panels are, there are a few other components that must be simultaneously installed in order to make the solar panel system functional. Often there is a battery along with wiring to transmit the power, and an inverter that is important for the power to be conducted into energy that can be used at homes or in offices.

Although this still has left the question of what solar panels are unanswered. Let us take give a brief overview of their construction. Each pane is made of a silicon material which is either poly or monocrystalline and sometimes thin film. It is then topped with a material that is conductive to electricity such as copper or silver. The end result leaves a waffle pattern on each one of the individual modules. Once the individual modules or cells are created, they are wired together so that they can gather photons and begin the photovoltaic process of creating solar electric power. While there are many frequencies of light that filter down to the cells, the infrared, ultraviolet and diffused light really can’t be utilized. The rest is captured for the purpose of conducting electricity. This is why they aren’t deemed one hundred percent efficient.

Part of the explanation of what solar panels are also includes where they might be suitably placed. There are roof-top solar mounting kits and ground mounting kits available. Each of these types has support brackets that are put into place. Depending on what area of the country they are installed, it may be necessary to raise the cells on a slant or tilt. The farther away from the equator that someone lives, the more the likelihood exists that there will be a pitch necessary for the cells to work properly. Trackers can also be used to make the cells more efficient. This allows for the cells to actively search for the sun light and then pitch themselves in the perfect direction.

Once a consumer realizes the answer to the question of what solar panels are, the next logical query would be about the cost involved. The answer to that question is dependent on the individual customer and their particular needs. The cost varies depending on how many cells the system will include, where the customer lives, and how much reliance they intend to have solely on the alternative energy system. All of these things will have an impact on the final investment that will need to be made. This is a technology that is worth exploring as it has the potential to save the homeowner a lot of money in the long run, while they are less dependent on their local utility provider.